Weatherproofing bottom member for doors and windows



Nov. 20, 1962 w. w. MILLER 3,064,319

WEATHERPROOFING BOTTOM MEMBER FOR DOORS AND WINDOWS Filed Oct. 2, 1959INVENTOR. WALLACE W. MILLER United States Patent Ofifice 3,954,319Patented Nov. 20, 1962 3,064,319 VEATEHSRPROOFEJG BiETIUM. ltfEMidER FQRD9825 ANB VHNDGWS Vail-ace W. lvfiller, 265 N. 3rd St, El Cajon, Calif.Fiied Get. 2, 1959, Ser. No. 844,010

4 Ciaims. (Cl. 20-35) The present invention relates generally toweatherproofing of building structures and more particularly to aweather-proofing bottom member for doors and windows.

The primary object of this invention is to provide in combination with adoor having face panels, a bottom member which fits over the lower edgeof a door or window and has resilient wall portions with localized gripedges which grip both sides of the lower edge portions of the facepanels to ensure a close, sealing fit.

Another object of this invention is to provide a bottom member havingintegral drip edges on whichever side is exposed externally of thethreshold to shed moisture outside the threshold and prevent leakageunderneath the door.

A further object of this invention is to provide a bottom member havinga channeled retaining portion to hold a resilient sealing strip fordraft exclusion.

Another object of this invention is to provide a bottom member in whichthe seal strip retaining portion is off center so that, by reversing themember, the position of the seal strip can be changed to suit differentsill structures.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a bottom memberwhich is particularly suitable for doors having veneer finish or oflaminated or plywood construction, since the edge is completely enclosedand protected against splitting or splintering.

Finally, it is an object to provide a bottom member of theaforementioned character which is simple, convenient to make and use andwhich will give generally efiicient and durable service.

With these and other objects definitely in view, this invention consistsin the novel construction, combination and arrangement of elements andportions, as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification,particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the drawingwhich forms a material part of this disclosure, and in which:

Fl-(EUR l is a perspective view of one end of the bottom member; and

FlGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1, a doorbeing indicated fragmentarily to illustrate the attachment.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar or identical elementsand portions throughout the specification and throughout the views ofthe drawing.

The bottom member 1% is basically a wide U-shaped channel having a fiatbottom panel 12 and parallel side walls 14. Projecting downwardly belowthe bottom panel 12 and coextensive with the side walls 14 are dripedges 16, the outer face of each side wall and drip edge beingcontinuous and fiat to present a smooth, unbroken appearance. The dripedges 16 are substantially rectangular in cross section and have flatlower faces 18, which prevent origination of a high pitched whistlingsound of wind striking the outer lower edge of the door. The side walls14 have a limited resiliency and the upper longitudinal edges thereofhave inwardly turned, smoot y radiused grip edges 20.

On the underside of the bottom panel 12 are two spaced, para lel,longitudinally extending ribs 22 projecting downwardly and havingopposed, inwardly extending tongues 24 coextensive with the lower edgesthereof, defining a generally T-shaped channel 26 therebetween. Thelower faces 18 of drip edges 16 and the lower faces of tongues 24 aresubstantially coplanar to minimize the necessary clearance under a door.The ribs 22 are disposed to one side of the longitudinal center line ofthe member 10 for reasons explained hereafter. The channel 26 is shapedand dimensioned to receive a resilient sealing strip 28, such as thatshown and described in my patent application for a sealing means forswinging doors and windows, filed on substantially even date herewith.However, the member 10 is not limited to use with a specific sealingstrip and the structure around the channel 26 may be varied to holdother types of seals.

The member 10 is fitted over the lower edge of a closure member 30, asin FIGURE 2 or a window (not shown), contacting the lower edge portionsof the face panels 38, the resiliency of the side walls 14 causing thegrip edges 20 to bear tightly against the opposite faces of said loweredge portions of the face panels with the localized pressure at thelines of contact of said grip edges holding the member in place. Toensure further against displacement of the member "10, the side walls 14are provided with longitudinally spaced attachment holes 32 throughwhich nails 34, or the like, are driven into the door. For appearance,the nails may be of the escutcheon pin type or have decorative heads, orsuitable screws may be used.

The resilient sided member is particularly suitable for use with thetype of door illustrated in which a frame or core 36 is covered on bothsides by face panels 38 of plywood or hardboard, as in conventionalflush door construction. Such doors are subject to splitting and scalingof the face panels along the lower edges, and the hereindisclosed bottommember is a virtual necessity for use with such cheaper grades of doors.The term face panels is employed in this disclosure as including allsuch plywood and veneer construction and the member 10 encloses thelower portions of such face panels to prevent the above mentioneddamage. Since doors are normally made in standard thicknesses, themember can be made in the required widths to ensure a tight fit onvarious doors, and is easily formed by extrusion from aluminum orsimilar material, cut to length as needed.

The off center positioning of the channel 26 provides a means forchanging the disposition of the sealing strip 28 relative to the facesof the door 30 by merely reversing the member 19, which is otherwisesymmetrical. With certain types of sill structures it may be necessaryto have the sealing strip closer to one face of the door for properclosure and the reversability is a useful feature. In either position,one drip edge 16 is always on the outside.

The member 16 is simple and economical to manufacture, easy to installand provides protection for the lower edge of the door or window, inaddition to the weatherproofing qualities. In addition to preventingsplitting of the lower edge of a door, the member it prevents the stileand cross-member joints of a frame type door from separating and holdsthe door against warping, since the member is nailed or screwed to thedoor along its entire length.

It is understood that minor variation from the form of the inventiondisclosed herein may be made without eparture from the spirit and scopeof the invention, and that the specification and drawing are to beconsidered as merely illustrative rather than limiting.

I claim:

1. A door having a frame and face panels extending r to the lower edgeof the door; an elongated bottom member, generally U-shaped incross-section, with a door edge-engaging bottom panel and a pair ofconfronting, upwardly extending side walls spaced apart to span thelower edge of the door and extending upwardly over lower edge portionsof said face panels; means to secure said bottom member on the door; adrip edge having a substantially fiat, horizontal lower face, wherebythe function of a drip edge is obtained while preventing origination ofa high pitched whistling sound of wind striking the outer lower edge ofthe door; said drip edge extending below said bottom panel; and sealingstrip retaining means under said bottom panel, spaced from said dripedge, to hold a sealing strip extending below said drip edge.

2. A door having a frame and face panels extending to the lower edge ofthe door; an elongated bottom member, generally U-shaped incross-section, with a door edge-engaging bottom panel and a pair ofconfronting, upwardly extending side walls spaced apart to span thelower edge of the door and extending upwardly over lower edge portionsof said face panels; and means to secure said bottom member on the door,said side walls being resilient and having inwardly turned, confrontinggrip edges engaging said face panels and exerting linearly localizedpressure thereon; a pair of drip edges substantially coplanar With saidside walls and extending below said bottom panel; said drip edges havingsubstantially flat, horizontal, coplanar lower faces; and alongitudinally extending sealing strip retaining member on the undersideof said bottom panel; said retaining member being between said dripedges and ofiset from the longitudinal center line of said bottom panel,whereby the bottom member is made reversible, end to end to preserve thedrip edge function while permitting location of the sealing stripselectively at two locations to adapt the same to dilferent thresholds.

3. A bottom member for securement on the bottom of a door, said bottommember being elongated and generally U-shaped in cross-section, with adoor edge-engaging bottom panel and a pair of confronting upwardlyextending side walls spaced apart to span the lower edge 4. A bottommember according to claim 3 wherein said sealing strip retaining meansis offset only slightly from the longitudinal center line of the bottompanel; and including a second drip edge similar to the first mentioneddrip edge; said drip edges being disposed in opposing relationship closeto the longitudinal edges of said bottom panel, whereby the bottommember is adapted for end to end reversal to adjust said sealing stripretaining means to accommodate to dif erent thresholds.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS712,240 Barnes et al. Oct. 28, 1902 945,225 Forsyth Jan. 4, 19102,399,666 Een May 7, 1946 2,739,357 Seabrook Mar. 27, 1956 2,908,947Meacham' Oct. 20, 1959 2,934,802 Shekter Mar. 3, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS735,493 France Aug. 20, 1932

